Why I chose AP over MYW w/dining

[tracilicious]

I know that people debate over this all the time, so I thought that I would post my calculations now that the AP codes have been released. I used the formatting of the Mousesavers comparison. For the dining, I calculated what we would actually eat, on the generous side. We normally share a CS meal and get an extra side, plus a kids meal. The TS meals I calculated 1 appetizer to share, 2 entrees, desert and a child's meal.


Magic Your Way package w/dining 10 nights AKL standard view
2 adults, 1 child (3 years old), 1 infant (free):

Room: $2938

10 day park hoppers: $691

Dining plan: $870

other meals: $200 (10 CS breakfasts @$15 each, plus $50 thrown in for good measure)

Total price: $4699


AP w/Disney Dining Experience card and AP room discount, AKL standard view:
2 adults, 1 child (3 years old), 1 infant (free)

Room: $1661

Dining total: $1000

8 TS lunches (we won't want ten) @ $75/meal: $600
minus 20% DDE discount: $480 (total for TS meals)

12 CS dinners @ $25/meal: 300

10 CS breakfasts @ $15/meal: $60

10 days of snacks: $100 (guesstimate, dh loves to snack)

Disney Dining Experience card: $60

Tix: Total price: $920

1 Adult AP: $442

1 Adult MYW, 1 child MYW (both ten day w/hopping): $478

Total cost: 3581

Savings w/AP: $1118


All prices include tax and are rounded to the nearest dollar. The dining plan seemed really nice and luxurious, but we will be really happy sharing an appetizer and a desert. When we go out to eat now we don't usually do appetizers or desert, so this will be luxury for us. For us, the convenience of the dining plan wasn't worth $1100. Plus, we like to snack on churros and pretzels and real ice cream, so it limited us.

If you aren't staying for as long, or are staying in a value or mod, your savings won't be as much of course. Hope this helps someone!

 

[DisneyPhD]

looks like that is the right choice for you. (especailly if you can get the AP discount on the room.) We like to get AP too, but we are DVC and that also gives you a AP discount.

A few questions. My understanding is DDE does not give you 20% off CS meals (only at AK because there is not TS in the parks.) It only gives you 20% off the food courts at Values (once again no TS.) Or at least this was the case last year.

Also I thought the renewal for DDE went up to something like $75 (it was 50 with AP last year when we bought it.)

 

[tracilicious]

That's right. I only took 20% off the table service meals. Mousesavers listed the card at $60 though. I think it used to be $50.

 

[boomhauer]

There's no question in my mind that the AP is the only way to go for me. Even had I only taken the 1 trip this year (January), I still saved over $300 on the resort alone. That would have been worth it right there.

Then I add on 11 nights, all of which we'll spend in the parks in July, plus the resort savings with an AP discount, plus the 10% off you get at World Of Disney and so many restaurants - I can't imagine going without an AP anymore.

 

[DisneyPhD]

That's right. I only took 20% off the table service meals. Mousesavers listed the card at $60 though. I think it used to be $50.

Oh, right. Sayng TS lunchs through me. I guess you are doing lunchs sit down because it suits you better (with the kids, I know that is sometimes the case with us.) and it cheaper.

Make sure you get the DDE in advance. Sometimes it can take a while to get to you.

 

[Msslaydbug]

Good Calculations - we are going with AP discount too.

 

[lovesdumbo]

AP's work for me too. So will you really only get the 1 adult AP or buy AP's for all and then you can take a trip next year-say a week earlier-and still use same DDE too.

When I ordered my DDE in Aug it took 4 weeks to arrive so you'll probably want to time it to arrive in time but have an expire date same as your AP if possible. I think if you order after the 15th they give you the next month expire date-I think they will tell you what the date will be when you call.

Enjoy AKL!

 

[keishashadow]

DVC members staying on points (or people renting from them @ DVC properties) can purchase the Dining Plan beginning late April(?) as long as you purchase it for all nights & everyone listed on reservation. There is no tix purchase requirement...might work out for those that have AP's already.

Enjoy the magic.

 

[jjohnson]

It works out better for us too but if I didn't get the AP discount this morning I had planned on doing the dining package.

 

[PoohHappens]

You will still come out ahead, but you room discount seems really large, is this the new discount of 100 a night off for deluxe?

 

[Fionasmommy]

Thanks for sharing! I've been wanting to see a breakdown like that!

I was torn between AP/DDE and AAA/DDP for awhile, but decided in the end that if we're doing 1 character meal per day, we'll should see more savings with AAA/DDP. We're (2 adults, 1 child - 4 yr old light eater) planning on picking up a light breakfast like a pastry at MK, then doing CS for lunch as TS dinners.

Even though the plan includes appetizers for all of us, it seems like that would be way too much food at dinner! We do love our desserts, lol, so I'm sure we can squeeze them in, but I kind of wonder if the DDP saving is partially attributed to the extra food. Honestly, we could probably have the appetizer instead of the entree and be fine - but not both!

But, if I eat 1 CS lunch and 1 TS meal - splitting an entree and possibly the dessert too - would it cost me less than $37.99 each day? I haven't been to WDW yet, so I have no clue! $10.99 per day for child does seem like a great deal though - the buffets alone cost that!

Also, if the AP rate is $119 (for POFQ May -June) and we're already booked at $131 through AAA, it still doesn't equal enough savings to cover the additional expense of an AP and DDE card.

Right?

 

[lovesdumbo]

fionasmommy-the OP didn't consider AAA discount possability AND was using a deluxe AP discount of $100/night on a deluxe resort not moderate discount of $40. You would only save about $12/day with tax over AAA by using an AP. SO...it doesn't sound like AP is the way for you to go if you will not return within the year.

Then you can review menus and see if you can eat for less than the cost of the dining plan. Have you found the menus on allearsnet.com?

 

[tracilicious]

Yes, the savings at the deluxe's are pretty large. With the AAA discount at a moderate, you might be better off doing AAA/DDP. I just went round and round about this, until yesterday when I broke it down like in the OP, so I thought that breakdown might help others too eventually.

For us, sharing an appetizer and a desert and each getting our own entree did come out to be cheaper with the 20% discount. For example let's say we're eating at Marrakesh for lunch (I'm going to round to the nearest dollar for convenience):

Beef Brewat rolls $6
Roast lamb mashoui $17
Shish kebab $18
Crepes Casablanca $5
Soda $2 (I usually drink water)
Chicken tenders w/childs drink $6
Total: $54
add tax and tip: $68
subtract 20% for DDE: $55

So that's for all three of us. The dining plan for the three of us would be $87/day. It won't cost us much more than the remaining $32 (87-55) to eat breakfast, lunch and snacks. Granted, it isn't as much food as you get on the dining plan, but we really don't need that much food. So because we got such a huge discount on the rooms, the dining plan wasn't worth it for us.

BUT, if I were staying in a moderate and the cost of the AP wasn't covered by the savings, then I would most likely get the dining plan and make it stretch to cover breakfast as well. This would limit us though, and it would probably be kind of a hassle trying to figure out where to use which credits.

So, your mileage may vary, but that's how it worked out for us.

 

[dawgsgirl]

Doesn't anybody eat off-site? Just wondering, we do it at least some of the time to save money and get a break from Disney prices. And I agree, with an AP rate on the room, the Dining Plan is not such a good deal!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Doesn't anybody eat off-site? Just wondering, we do it at least some of the time to save money and get a break from Disney prices. And I agree, with an AP rate on the room, the Dining Plan is not such a good deal!

That would require a car. Now that Disney has the free DME it would be difficult to cover the expense of a car with off site savings. Especially for my trip May 1 to 4 where I'm going mid week so I can't get a cheap car rental because I don't have a Sat stay or 5 day minimum for any of the good rental deals. I think Disney has a lot more variety now so we don't get bored with the Disney food.

I do multiple trips a year so I can justify the cost of my AP with admission alone. On my 2 May trips I'll be staying at POFQ & Pop. Niether of these resorts has TS so I get to use my DDE discount at the food courts there.

 

[denman007]

The AP route only makes sense if your are staying at a deluxe resort AND can get the $100 off per night.

If you are staying after June, you might not be able to get such a room discount.

 

[anita22]

I have played w/the #'s since the d. plan came out & last year decided to splurge and go w/ d. plan. Well we really loved it. 5 in our family, we really didnt buy any food beside what was on plan just a few breakfast bars from home and very little late night snacks. We ate VERY!!! well. You can share a meal, especially in counter service and it is plenty( I have 2-17yr boys, 12 yr old & 2 adults) You can bring your dessert, whatever back to room for later. There just isnt any better way to go for us. We really had fun not worry about cost when ordering and ate places we would never been able to afford before, like contem on our anniversay the meal was over $380.00 one meal. Add up how much you really would spend per person per day and then compare it to what the dinning exp. cost per day. The ap saves you so much on the room, it is a hard choice. If you are going more than for a week or going more than once a year defin. the way to go, if not, check the numbers and see if you could do the dining, I dont think you would regret it. How about a pole of those who have used dinning, what they think, any regrets???